Hey all! So I have been an avid reader on this page for years, but have never had anything useful to post until now! So here goes:
I'm a 26 year-old, very active female. I have had back acne probably since I was 13 or so. When I was that age, I didn't pay a ton of attention to what kinds of soaps/shampoos/lotions I was using, so my acne was reeealllly bad. I remember going to the swimming pool with my best friend, and she asked me about it and I told her it was bug bites. Rrrriiiggghhtt.
So I have since come to terms with the fact that it is something I really needed to pay attention to. But on top of that, I was super self conscious for years! I can't remember the last time I wore a thin-strapped tank top- or anything strapless. Anyhow, I'll get to the point. So I've been on this site forever trying to find a way to deal with it, and I have also tried every treatment in the book. Seriously. Everything. From spending 100's of dollars on Murad treatments, to going to work every day reeking of apple cider vinegar- I have given everything a shot.
I finally did figure out that by using the Neutrogena Facial Cleansing Bar for acne prone skin- which costs maybe $3.00 at any drugstore- my back acne did get slightly better.
I was still having serious breakouts, but the actual pimples were less severe- they were less painful, and there were a lot less cystic types, and more just red dot types. So since I've been using that religiously (and every time I go back to the old habit of ordering some expensive 'made for body acne' soap on the internet- I immediately regret it,) my acne has been much better. After about two years of using that, and thinking that it is about as good as it will ever get- I found Mario Badescu ~special cleansing lotion 'O'~
I have NO MORE back acne. Seriously. None. I still wash my back with the Neutrogena bar, and I am careful to wash my back after shampooing/conditioning my hair to make sure there is no residue, but then when I get out of the shower-
I put a liberal amount of the special cleansing lotion (it is a yellow liquid, more like a toner,) on my back- let it dry, and I'm good to go. I can not recommend that people try this enough. And mainly because I spent SO many years trying every different type of treatment, that I feel like if this works for me- it has got to work for other people. Oh, and the Mario Badescu lotion is only like $15, and lasts quite a while. It has a sort of herbal smell- which doesn't bother me at all, and if it does bother you- believe me, it is a small price to pay for the results I got.
Neutrogena bar : URL removed, http://www.acne.org/board-rules.html Acne.Org Moderator Team*
Lotion: URL removed, http://www.acne.org/board-rules.html Acne.Org Moderator Team*
Please let me know what you guys think, and I really really hope this helps- because I have been seriously hopeless about this thing for years and years, and if I can help someone else get into a bathing suit or whatever without feeling self-conscious, at a much younger age than I was able to do that- I am going to be really happy.
I took birth control for a while, too, and never noticed any difference. I hope this works for you- it is a bummer when you get to see all your girl friends wearing cute tank tops and bikinis and such, and you have to wear muscle tees because it is the only thing that covers your back 
Let me know how it goes!'
I took birth control for a while, too, and never noticed any difference. I hope this works for you- it is a bummer when you get to see all your girl friends wearing cute tank tops and bikinis and such, and you have to wear muscle tees because it is the only thing that covers your back
Let me know how it goes!'
Have you tried yaz? I have tried several types of birth control pills and the one that helped me (but never got rid of it) the most before yaz was orthro tri cyclen. When I stopped taking it, my chest and back went nuts. When I started eating really well/ exercising (lost weight), my face cleared up right away, but my body never followed. It wasn't until I took yaz that I noticed the difference.
Just wanted to let you know that it's been two days and my skin feels a lot smoother. Old persistent cystic acne is finally starting to get smaller. No new recent breakouts in a while *knock on wood*, but I think that has to do more with the birth control pill.
Hey there I'm also a serial lurker of these boards and I never post. I'm so glad that you cleared your bacne . I'm 21 and I never wear vest tops or any back or chest reveling clothes I really want to give your regimen a try as just like you I've tried everything under the sun and nothing ever works. (I too went to college smelling of vinegar (cringe ). I was just wondering how you go about doing this. Do you shower once or twice a day and how long do you wash with the soap for? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for deciding to post what worked for you!
Stacey-
I shower once or twice a day, it really depends. Like I said, I work out a lot- so I take a shower as soon as I get done at the gym, and then I usually end up taking one again after work. But you could probably get away with taking one a day if you're not super sweaty or whatever.
So here's my shower routine 
I wash my hair first, and then I keep a hair tie in the shower and put my hair up. Then I just wash with the bar soap just like you would any other soap, but I leave it on just for good measure while I wash the rest of my body/face/shave or whatever. Then just rinse it off. Once I'm out of the shower, I just dry off, and the special lotion is not really lotion- it is more like a toner, so I just pour some into my hands and rub it on my back. I apply liberally too- because like I said, it is relatively cheap (especially compared to some other things I've tried,) and I figure it won't hurt to put a ton on in case I sweat.
Like I said before too-
It has a weird herbally smell, but as much as I put on- I never seem to smell it later on. And since you've done the whole vinegar bit- girl, you can handle it! Let me know if it helps! Or if you have any other questions.
<3
Hi, I had a few questions about the Mario Badescu lotion... I hope you dont mind! So I experience very mild chest, shoulder, and upper back breakouts. They arent cystic acne but the bumpy kind. The only thing I am using is Neutrogena scrub with salicylic acid in the shower and it doesnt seem to be doing the job on its own. My dermatologist recommended Tazorac gel for my face and it looks amazing. However I can't use Tazorac for body. Do you find that the drying lotion is a preventative or just a on the spot treatment? And how do u you apply the lotion to your back? Thanks!
Wow I am so happy that you finally found a solution.
For me it's Yaz birth control that helps me the most!
I tried stopping it two months ago and I ended up getting serious cystic acne not only on my face, but EVERYWHERE on my back and chest! Even some on my neck and along my hairline?
No way, I can't stand the fact that i'm even worse then I was before.
So I got right back on YAZ and my face has cleared up after two weeks. My body acne is clearing but really slowly!
My back still has red pimples